Without too much hesitation, Coriolanus forces his way into the
house of Aufidius, entering the hallway between the kitchen and
the dining room. The servants are surprised to find a poorly
dressed stranger in their company and ask him who he is and how
he managed to get past the guard outside. They then order him to
get out; but Coriolanus refuses to leave, pushes one of the servants
away, and beats another. In the meantime, a servant has gone to
inform Aufidius of the altercation.

When Aufidius arrives to find out the cause of the trouble, a
servant says that he would have resolved the matter himself by
beating the stranger, but it would have caused a commotion and
disturbed the party. Aufidius asks the stranger his name and his
reason for coming. Coriolanus throws away his disguise and tells
Aufidius that he should be able to recognize him. When Aufidius
does not know him, Coriolanus introduces himself and says that he
is the one who had done great injuries to the Volscians and
received the honorific title for his deeds. Explaining that he has
been banished from Rome by the cruel and envious commoners, he
says that he has come to Aufidius in order to join the Volscians so
that he may revenge himself on the banishers. He offers to fight
against Rome alongside Aufidius; but he also understands if the
Volscian decides to kill him for personal revenge.

Aufidius declares himself overjoyed to greet Coriolanus as a
comrade and declares that his love is as strong and powerful as his
earlier hatred. After he tells him about the Volscian plan of attack,
he offers to share his command with Coriolanus since he is
thoroughly acquainted with Rome’s strengths and weaknesses and
can be of great help. The two men then go inside to introduce
Coriolanus to the Senators.

After Coriolanus and Aufidius leave, the servants discuss in
amazement what they have witnessed. They argue about who is the
better and more formidable man of the two soldiers. They all
agree, however, that the Volscians are certain now to be victorious
over Rome and that the enemy will be scared away by the very
sight of Coriolanus. The scene draws to a close with the servants
agreeing that war is preferable to peace.

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Notes

Since Coriolanus has decided to join the Volscian army if
permitted, he forces his way into Aufidius’ house, much like he
forces himself on to a battlefield. Even though he is stopped by the
servants, Coriolanus still retains his pride and sense of arrogance.
When the servants ask him where he lives, he replies that he lives
in “the city of kites and crows.” In truth, Coriolanus can give no
permanent dwelling; he has no home, since he has been banished.
The servants in the scene provide some degree of comic relief both
before and after the meeting between Aufidius and Coriolanus, a
meeting filled with tension on the part of the banished Roman
warrior.

Amazingly, the scene shows an extremely smooth reconciliation
between the two bitter rivals, Coriolanus and Aufidius. Upon
learning of Coriolanus’ desire for revenge on Rome, Aufidius
almost immediately gives him a joint command of his army,
knowing that Coriolanus’ knowledge of Rome and the Romans
will help to insure a Volscian victory. Although Aufidius must be
totally shocked that Coriolanus is going to join his side, he does
not act surprised, but smoothly accepts Coriolanus’ offer of help
and says that his love for Coriolanus now equals the greatest
emotion that he has ever felt.

The conversation among the servants serves to comment on the
preceding action as well as revealing that the glorification of war
pervades all aspects of society. While the three servants discuss the
odd alliance taking place, they evaluate who is the better warrior.
One of the servants accurately estimates that Aufidius is “Cut i’the
middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday.” In truth,
because Aufidius has accepted Coriolanus into his army and given
him joint command, the Volscians will loose the attack on Rome.